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OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE FROM THE FIRST 300 MW

EL
CFB
PLANT IN THE P. R. OF CHINA
G.-N. Stamatelopoulos, J.-C. Semedard, S. Darling
ALSTOM Power
INTRODUCTION
Fluidized bed combustion plants have been in successful operation for many years in the capacity range from
50 to 350 MW
el
. Steam generators with circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustion have found acceptance
throughout the world over the last few years, in particular for the power generation, but also as industrial
power plant and combined heat and power station. The reason for this success was on the one hand that they
could meet the considerably stricter anti-pollution legislation without add-on equipment, and on the other
hand that fluidized bed combustion plants allow the use of a broad fuel range, including various sludges and
production residues and different types of coal and biomass. CFB plants are also successful in China for the
same reasons.
The increase in the energy consumption in China necessitates that new power stations are provided. As the
Chinese fuel market is characterized by a high share of low-volatile and high-sulfur coals, the fluidized bed
technology is an excellent technology for this purpose.
The construction of the 300 MW
el
demonstration power plant Baima in the province of Sichuan is an
important milestone in this respect. Following a detailed evaluation process in the years from 1998 to 2002
the delivery contract was awarded for the boiler scope at the beginning of 2003, making the Baima plant the
first 300 MW
el
CFB plant in China and one of the biggest worldwide.
The paper focuses on the design principles applied for this boiler, describes the project schedule and
realization and gives first operational feedback from the commissioning phase and the commercial operation
of the plant. Furthermore, the paper will give an overview of the other 300 MW
el
CFB boilers under
construction, or in operation in China and discusses the further increase in capacity up to 600 MW
el
, which
will further improve the economic efficiency of these plants in combination with the introduction of
supercritical steam parameters and the once-through technology.
CFB DESIGN PRINCIPLES
CFB references for the utilization of a big variety of fuels exist today. Coal and lignites with water content
up to 60 %, ash content up to 40 % and sulfur up to 14 % (daf) have been utilized successfully. References
exist also for the utilization of slurry, sewage sludge, petroleum coke and bark. Besides the ability to burn a
wide range of fuels including difficult to burn fuels and opportunity fuels, CFBs have achieved impressive
environmental performance, especially low NO
X
emissions and economic in-furnace desulfurization by
limestone addition.
While post-combustion control equipment can be used with CFB technology to meet special emissions
requirements, the very low NO
X
emissions that CFB combustion achieves without any secondary measures
can be attributed to the following reasons:
relatively low and uniform furnace temperature of approx. 850 C to 900 C;
air staging in the lower furnace by primary air and secondary air introduction at appropriate levels,
resulting in substoichiometric combustion conditions in the lower furnace hopper;
equal distribution of fuel and air by the intense mixing inside the furnace;
positive impact of high efficiency cyclones that result in isothermal conditions in the primary loop.
Sulfur capture is achieved through inherent capture by the fuel bound calcium and injection of prepared and
dried limestone in the furnace. The crushed limestone is pneumatically fed into the CFB through adequate
injection points. The particles size distribution (PSD) is an important factor in the sulfur capture process
efficiency, together with carefully controlled temperature and high cyclone efficiency. When equipped with
high efficient cyclones, CFB boilers are typically able to capture up to 95 % of the SO
2
generated by the
combustion of the fuel at moderate limestone addition rates.
The cyclone sizing and geometry, which includes the design of the inlet duct, is at the heart of Alstom CFB
combustion technology: the capture efficiency of the separation system is the decisive factor in maintaining
the bed density and retaining the fine calcium rich particles in the primary loop. A high bed density in turn
ensures a high heat transfer and a uniform temperature in the furnace, a high contact between CaO particles
and SO
2
rich flue gas for optimum sulfur capture efficiency and of course the best possible combustion by
keeping the fuel particles in the furnace for the longest possible time. It also has a beneficial impact on NO
X

emissions, as explained above.
The products from the CFB furnace consist of the fuel ashes, the sulfated lime as well as some excess lime
(unutilized CaO). Considering the ashes, the main differences between PC and CFB ashes are:
total ash flow for CFB is larger due to limestone addition and desulfurization,
CFB produces less fly ash and more bottom ash than PC fired boiler,
fineness of fly ashes for CFB and PC fired furnaces is similar,
bottom ash particle sizes differ for CFB and PC (slag)
CFB ashes contain higher SO
3
, and CaO than PC fired ashes.
Despite the differences in composition, particle size and properties, various applications for CFB ashes have
been established, as reported in many VGB research projects [1]. Commonly CFB ashes are used for re-
filling of mines, as roadbed material, or as additive for cement.
THE BAIMA PROJECT IN CHINA
Baima, one of worlds largest CFB boilers, is an anthracite-fired 300 MW power plant being built in the
Sichuan province of the Peoples Republic of China. The Baima Project includes a Transfer of Technology
agreement for CFB boilers between 200 and 350 MW
el
from Alstom to Chinas three major boiler
manufacturers (Dongfang Boiler Group, Harbin Boiler Company, Shanghai Boiler Works) and to the seven
members of the Chinese Electric Power Design Institute. The choice of Alstom CFB technology was based
on a series of evaluations conducted several years by Chinese experts assessing both technical and
economical criteria.
The contract for the design and equipment supply for the Baima 300 MW
el
CFB boiler was signed on March
31st, 2003. According to the contract, Alstom supplied the CFB, with most of the manufacturing being done
in China and subcontracted to Dongfang Boiler Group. Alstom worked closely with Dongfang Boiler, during
the detailed engineering phase. The Baima plant was constructed for Sichuan Baima CFB Demonstration
Power Plant Co. Ltd., whose main shareholder is State Power Grid and Sichuan Bashu Development
Company. The site is located in Sichuan Province and benefits from the proximity of the Dongfang Boiler
workshop.
In selecting CFB technology for Baima, the owners benefit both in terms of specific operational aspects and
cost. One main advantage is the ability to burn the low volatile anthracite without oil support even at low
loads; the minimum load without oil support guaranteed for Baima was 35 %. This feature entails
considerable fuel oil savings during part load operation. Post-combustion equipment (such as SO
2
scrubbers
and SNCRs) are avoided, thus positively impacting CFB investment cost and ease of operation.
BOILER DESIGN
This 1025 tonnes/hr natural circulation CFB boiler was designed to fire a Chinese anthracite coal at steam
conditions as shown in Table 1. The anthracite coal is characterized by a relatively low volatile matter
content (8.5 as received) and a high ash content (35 % as received). The lower calorific value is
4420 kcal/kg. The detailed analysis is given in Table 1.
Table 1: Baima CFB Boiler Main Data
Steam conditions
at MCR
Units
Main steam flow t/h 1025
Main steam pressure Bar 174
Main steam
temperature
C 540
RH steam flow t/h 844
RH steam pressure Bar 37
RH steam
temperature
C 540
Feed Water
temperature
C 281
Design coal analysis
Carbon % wt AR 49.2
Volatile matter % 8.55
Sulfur % 3.54
Ash % 35.27
Moisture % 7.69
Lower Heating
Value
kcal/kg 4420
Sulfur % 3.54 to 4.30
Emissions level
SO
2
mg/m
N
6 % O
2
600
NO
X
mg/m
N
6 % O
2
250
Particulates mg/m
N
100
The emission requirements for the gases discharged
at the stack are shown in Table 1. No post-
combustion cleaning equipment is required. The
design utilizes the concepts developed and well
proven by Alstom over several years of successful
operation at the Provence and Red Hills plants, i.e. a
pant-leg furnace, four high efficiency cyclones and
four external fluidized bed heat exchangers
(FBHEs), two for bed temperature control and two
for reheat steam temperature control [2]. The
arrangement of the CFB boiler is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1: Baima CFB Arrangement
OPERATIONAL FEEDBACK
The trial run was successfully passed on April 17th, 2006 and the boiler has been in commercial operation
since then, following grid demand mainly between 160 and 300 MW.
The coal fired was of lower quality than expected, with 42 to over 50 % ash containing stones and with a
varying quality, despite coal mixing in the coal yard. Fig. 2 gives an overview of the ash content varying
with time. Coal flow can vary from 130 t/h up to 210 t/h for the same power output of 300 MW in a few
minutes. In spite of the obvious difficulty to optimize operation with such variable coal properties good
combustion and desulfurization results were achieved.

Fig. 2: Ash content variation with time
The variability of the coal quality is also due to the
high stone content of the coal. This required some
adjustments of the coal preparation system, but even
with those adjustment the bottom ash was very
coarse with a D50 of 1 to 3 mm resulting in
limitations in the ash extraction system. As the
customer was not able to deliver better coal quality,
the decision was made to replace the four fluidized
bed ash coolers (FBACs) with four, more adapted to
the coarse bottom ash, rotary ash coolers of Chinese
design. Each rotary ash cooler was installed in the
place of the existing FBACs, which were
dismantled. The inlet of the ash cooler was kept
through the cone valve and a vent to the flue gas
duct was installed. Finally the FBHE drains were
adapted. The water quality and pressure were taken
into consideration and this led to a thick shell for the
cooler. Fig. 3 shows the design principle of the
rotary ash coolers. Such coolers are widely used in
China, but also in Europe for industrial applications
and solids cooling.

Fig. 3: Rotary Ash Cooler
The operation of the rotary ash cooler was
satisfactory and no operational problem arose,
whatever the coal quality. The ash temperature
could be kept within acceptable values and the
interface with the boiler in terms of expansion and
cone valve operation performed well.
Another area in the CFBs which is often linked with
quality issues is the refractory in the furnace.
Therefore, special care was taken in order to ensure
high quality for the delivery and erection of the
refractory, high portions of which were supplied
directly from China. Those efforts included clear
specifications during the design phase and close
supervision and day-to-day quality control with on
site replacement, if necessary during erection. Dry
out definition and supervision was also in Alstoms
responsibility. Those efforts resulted in a very
successful outcome and very few incidents with
refractory failures that allowed the operator to
follow a low maintenance regime. Fig. 4 gives an
idea of the refractory shape after 4500 hours of
operation.

Fig. 4: Status of refractory after 4500 hours
Performance tests were carried out in April 2007 and the major results compared to the contractually agreed
values are summarised in Table 2.
Table 2: Performance Tests Results Baima
Parameter Units Contractual Value Performance Test
Efficiency based on LHV % 91.8 93.6
Min. Load without oil support % 35 35
Self consumption kW 9500 8600
SO
2
Emissions at 6 % O
2
mg/m
N
600 600
Ca/S Ratio - 1.8 1.6
NO
X
Emissions at 6 % O
2
mg/m
N
250 100
The combustion efficiency is also very good and results in less than 3 % unburned carbon LHV basis.
DEVELOPMENT OF LARGE CFBS IN CHINA
Besides the Baima demonstration project a number of 300 MW
el
CFBs are under construction, or already in
operation in China. Table 3 shows those references.

Table 3: 300 MW
el
CFBs in China
Name Capacity
[MW]
Province
Projects under construction, or in operation
Baima 1 x 300 Sichuan
Kaiyuan 2 x 300 Yunnan
Qinhuangdao 2 x 300 Hebei
Xialongtan 2 x 300 Yunnan
Xunjiansi 2 x 300 Yunnan
Pingshuo 2 x 300 Shanxi
Meng Xi 2 x 300 Guangdong
Projects under Development
Xuancheng 2 x 300 Anhui
Huangjiaozhuang 2 x 300 Sichuan
Huaibei 4 x 300 Anhui
Pingshi (Shaoguan) 2 x 300 Guangfong
The deployment of the large utility-class scale CFBs
in China is based on a single technology, that is
transferred from Alstom to the Chinese boiler
manufacturers. Alstom technology is the basis for
all CFBs sold by the licensees in the 200 to
350 MW
el
size range. It is expected that experience
in diverse coals, operation modes and site conditions
will be gained in China, and will benefit markets in
Asia, Europe and elsewhere.
In the coming years, feedback and experiences from
all three boiler manufacturers can be shared by
utilities since the CFB technology used is identical.
Development based on this technology will also be
shared. In order to accelerate the Transfer of
Technology implementation, it has been decided
that each boiler manufacturer will design and
manufacture its first order in co-production with
Alstom.
KAIYUAN: in October 2003, Alstom received from
Harbin an order for the first of the co-production
projects. This is the Kaiyuan plant (Fig. 5), in
Yunnan Province. It consists of two lignite-fuelled
300 MW
el
CFBs. Because the units are located
1200 m above sea level, the CFBs are the largest
ever constructed in terms of physical dimensions.


Fig. 5: Kaiyuan boiler in operation
The CFB boilers were designed to fire Yunnan
lignite with 35 % moisture and 11 % ash. Unit 1
passed successfully the trial run in J une 2006 and
Unit 2 in August 2006; both are now in commercial
operation. Table 4 gives an overview of the
performance tests results of Yunnan lignite fired
300 MW CFBs.
Table 4: Performance results of Yunnan CFB
boilers (3 units: Kaiyuan, Shiaolongtan,
Xiunjiangsi)
Parameter Units Contra-
ctual
Value
Performance
Efficiency
(LHV)
% 92.8 >93
SO
2
at 6 % O
2
mg/m
N
400 400
Ca/S Ratio - 2.0 2.0
NO
X
at 6 % O
2
mg/m
N
350 132
Carbon Loss % 0.4 0.13


FURTHER SCALE-UP AND SUPERCRITICAL DESIGN
The greatest challenge for the increase of capacity to 400 up to 600 MW
el
is to apply the excellent operating
experience gained from the CFB plants of capacity class 250 to 300 MW
el
to the larger plants and to
accompany this capacity increase with the introduction of supercritical technology. The increase in capacity
and the introduction of supercritical steam parameters in CFB plants impact some key components such as
the furnace, cyclones and FBHEs.
Furnace
For this size a concept with a dual grate (pant leg) is required in order to ensure adequate fluidisation and
complete combustion. Three cyclones and up to three FBHEs are arranged on each side of the furnace. Fig. 6
shows the overall arrangement of a six-cyclone plant. In view of the enlargement of the furnace the
following furnace limitations are to be kept:
The furnace width is limited by the max. size of
the buckstays, which is required to withstand
the furnace internal pressure.
The furnace depth is designed in such a manner
that the secondary air can penetrate deeply into
the furnace in any operating case. With the
conventional single grate concept this
requirement leads to widths of max. 10 m. In
order to avoid this limitation for large furnaces,
the double hopper concept was introduced.



Fig. 6: Arrangement of a supercritical fluidized
bed boiler for 600 MW
el

A staging of the secondary air is especially effective for high reactive fuels. The more homogeneous the
oxygen distribution, the less NO
X
und SO
2
is produced and the more effective becomes the limestone
consumption and fuel burnout. Each grate section of the dual grate is provided with separate fuel and air
feeding points. The secondary air is injected from the enclosing wall and also from the interior hopper wall.
The separate control of the primary and secondary air in each hopper section helps to achieve a uniform
fluidization, homogeneous stoichiometries and a uniform bed material inventory.
Cyclone
For supercritical steam parameters the cyclones plus inlet and outlet ducts are provided with a tubed design
and cooled by the superheated steam. This leads to a minimization of the refractory lining in the cyclone
area. Experience with the manufacture and erection of tubed cyclones has already been gained with
subcritical plants as e.g. at Zeran B in Poland.
FBHE
For the optimum utilization of the heat input to the furnace, FBHEs are used as a supplement to the heating
surfaces in the furnace. In the FBHEs the circulating ashes with temperatures from 845 to 900 C are cooled
to approx. 600 C, and the heating surfaces can be arranged as superheater, reheater or even as evaporator.
The ash flow into the FBHE is controlled by an ash valve.
Besides the possibility of controlling the furnace and reheater temperature without spray attemperation,
another advantage of the FBHE is the high heat transfer coefficient from the ash particles to the tube banks,
which leads to compact heating surfaces. Modular design enables the increase of the thermal output without
any modification of the design concept. Thus, the scale-up risks are avoided. With the increase of the plant
capacity the number of the FBHEs is increased. The number of FBHEs can be at most equal to the number of
the cyclones.
SUMMARY
CFB technology can contribute to an efficient, environmentally compatible and economic utilization of coal
and other fuels. Experience gained at Baima and Kaiyuan firing anthracite and lignite paves the way towards
a large diversity of the future fuels burned in large CFBs in China. It appears from the variability of Chinese
coals and the potential presence of stones that careful attention must be paid to the coal range definition for
proper design of the coal preparation and ash evacuation equipment for optimized operation.
In recent years, CFB plants have become established in the capacity range from 250 to 350 MW
el
. A further
capacity increase up to 600 MW
el
is possible and remains to be realized. The introduction of supercritical
steam parameters further improve efficiency and additionally allows the reduction of CO
2
emissions. In this
context, CFB technology takes advantage of the design and operating experience of pulverized fuel firing
plants. Particularly in the area of the materials and once-through technology the experience from pulverized
fuel firing plants can be directly applied to the fluidized bed.
REFERENCES
[1] Theis, K.: Kurzbericht ber die Ttigkeit des VGB 2002/2003. VGB PowerTech 9/2003, pp. 46-77
[2] Semedard, J .-C.; Skowyra, R. S.; Stamatelopoulos, G.-N.: Circulating fluidised bed technology applied
to diverse fuels in Asia: Demonstrating successful Projects, Power-Gen Asia 2006, August 2006, Hong-
Kong,

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